Contents

About the
title

The success of World Book and Copyright Day, launched in 1996,
encouraged UNESCO to develop the concept of World Book Capital
City, selecting Madrid as the
Capital for 2001. This was again a success, and so UNESCO's General
Conference resolved to make the designation of a World Book Capital
City an annual event.

The nomination does not include any financial prize; it rather
acknowledges the best programmes dedicated to books and
reading.

Nomination
criteria

The nominating committee welcomes programmes — presented by or
endorsed by the mayor of the city making the application — that
promote and foster reading. The programmes are to run from one
World Book and Copyright Day and the next. The nomination committee
will turn its attention to certain criteria:

the degree of participation of all levels (from the municipal
to the international level)

the programme's potential impact

the scope and quality of the activities proposed by the
candidates, and the extent to which they involve writers,
publishers, booksellers and libraries

any other projects promoting books and reading

the extent to which the programme respects the principles of
freedom of expression, as stated by the UNESCO Constitution as well
as by Articles 19 and 27 of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and by the Agreement on the Importation of
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials